Barry University Athletics hosted the Second Annual Bucky Awards on Wednesday, Apr. 26 in the Broad Auditorium.

The Bucs celebrated the past year's (April 1, 2016 through April 1, 2017) accomplishments of the student-athletes with awards for Most Improved Athlete, Best Play, Newcomer of the Year, Best Game, Career Achievement, Barry Proud Moment. Additionally, the Sister Jeanne O'Laughlin Service Award, the Athletic Training Student of the Year, Male & Female Athlete of the Year and the Professor Neill Miller Scholar-Athletes of the Year.

Most Improved Athlete

After playing in 89 games over three years without making a start, Adrian Gonzalez from men's basketball emerged as the team's scoring leader. Over his first three years, he averaged 10.3 points per game, shooting 58.3 percent from the field and 73.9 percent from the line. As a senior, he started all 30 games, leading the team with 19.8 points per game, shooting 60.1 percent from the floor and 88.0 percent from the line. He finished his career ranked fourth all-time in scoring, second in FG percentage and games played, and third in FG made. He earned honorable mention All-America from the Division II Bulletin.

Best Play

Women's soccer trailed Rollins 1-0 in the 88th minute when they won a free kick about 45 yards out. Shannell McDonnell served the ball in, but it was punched out by the defense. McDonnell got the ball back at the top of the 18-yard box and sent in another cross. This one found the top of Linnea Kogsta's head and she flicked it past the keeper to knot the game at 1-1. The game went to OT and the Bucs scored 0:34 seconds into the extra time to advance to the regional final for the second straight year.

Newcomer of the Year

Charlotte Puts, a freshman from The Netherlands, has led the Bucs to the #1 ranking in the country this season. Puts is the highest-rated frosh in Division II with a 73.41 stroke average. Her 80.0 percent fairways hits is the 2nd-best in the country behind only teammate Tilda Larsson. Her 75.6 greens in regulation is best in the country. She won her first college tournament, the Ross Resorts Invitational, and has finished Top-5 in four other events and Top-10 in two more. In 20 rounds, she has eight of par or better, including a low round 68 at the BarryU Women's Invitational. She claimed the Sunshine State Conference individual medal on Tuesday, becoming just the third Buccaneer female to win the title.

Best Game

The 2016 rowing team entered the national regatta having won all of their races during the regular season. The V8 boat took first place at the FIRA Championships, The Knecht Cup, the SSC Regatta and the Dad Vail. The V4 boat also won at the four spring regattas. The Bucs were ranked #1 heading into the championship and did not disappoint as they swept the field to win the title. The V4 boat won with a time of 7:36.208, defeating Central Oklahoma and Western Washington, who finished in 7:41.915 and 7:45.745, respectively. The V8 boat recovered from a slight deficit at 500 meters to move ahead over the last 1000 meters for a three-second win over Central Oklahoma. The Bucs finished s the NCAA Division II champions for the second straight year.

Career Achievement

Ahmed Triki has been the leader of the men's tennis team since he stepped on campus. He went 13-3 in singles and 22-5 in doubles, mostly playing at the top flight in both, as a freshman. He earned the SSC Freshman of the Year, the ITA South Region Rookie of the Year, SSC Player of the Year and an ITA All-American in singles and doubles. He ended the team ranked third in both singles and doubles. As a sophomore, he went 15-0 in singles and 23-1 in doubles as the Bucs went undefeated 26-0 and captured the NCAA Division II National Championship. He was again SSC Player of the Year and an ITA All-American in both singles and doubles. He ended the spring ranked #1 in doubles with partner Fabian Groetsch and third in singles. He went 15-0 again in singles as a junior, all at #1, to tie the record for best perfect season he had set the year before and chipped in a 17-4 record in doubles. He earned ITA All-American in singles and doubles and first-team All-SSC in both as well for the third straight year. This season, he is third in the country in singles again and seventh in doubles. He is currently 12-3 at #1 singles and 17-3 in doubles as the Bucs rank second in the nation. He had a 38 dual-match winning streak, mostly at #1 and is second in school history with a .902 singles winning percentage (55-6). He is tied for the record for doubles winning percentage at .859 (79-13). A three-time member of the SSC Commissioner's Honor Roll and the ITA Scholar All-America list, he was a Third-Team Academic All-American in 2015 and First-Team in 2016.

Barry Proud Moment

During the spring semester, Barry's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee collected over 520 items (clothes, shoes, toys, canned goods, and toiletries) and donated them to the Chapman Partnership, a local homeless shelter in Miami.

Daniel Zuluaga was named the Athletic Training Student of the Year, while softball team won the Sister Jeanne O'Laughlin Service Award for the fifth time as a group, the most ever in the history of the award. In addition, Ali Perantoni (2008) and Grace Collins (2011 and 2012) won the award as individuals.

The Professor Neill Miller Scholar-Athletes of the Year went to Alayna Gallagher of softball and Hanno Antoni of men's soccer.

Gallagher is a 3.972 student in biology as a junior. She is a three-time member of the President's List and has been named to the SSC Commissioner's Honor Roll and NFCA Scholar All-America teams twice. She has started every game over the last three years, batting .305 with 77 runs scored and 45 driven in. She has swiped 29 bases and laid down 35 sacrifice bunts.

Antoni is a 3.925 finance major as a junior. He will be graduating early in May. A member of the President's List twice in his four semesters, he has been on the SSC Commissioner's Honor Roll twice as well. An NSCAA Second-Team All-American this past fall, he was second on the team with 13 goals and 30 points.

Tilda Larsson was named the Female Athlete of the Year. The sophomore was the 2016 SSC Freshman of the Year and WGCA National Co-Freshman of the Year. She earned 2016 SSC Co-Golfer of the Year and 1st-Team All-Conference and All-Tournament. This season, she is ranked 2nd in the nation with a 72.15 stroke average. She has finished Top-10 at all nine tournaments so far, including wins at Flagler Fall Slam, World Golf Invitational and the BarryU Invitational. She broke the school record for wins in a season and wins in a career (5) as a sophomore. Her low round of 68 is tied for the team best. In 11 of 23 rounds, she has shot par or better, including 3 rounds in the 60s. She has a 97.3 finish percentage and leads the team in Par 3 and Par 4 scoring. She was named to the SSC Commissioner's Honor Roll and the WGCA Scholar All-America list as a freshman.

Triki was also named the Male Athlete of the Year. He led the Bucs to the regular season and tournament titles in the SSC.

Here are the team awards: